Apple's 15" Ultra-Thin Notebook Due in March 2012

[lighthouse_man]

Define pro.

Business pro's would fit this fine. Same with web designers, engineers, writers, etc.

Pro is a much wider field than the graph ad movie guys.

But since Apple was focused, maybe still is, on movie guys which I make part of, then that's what pro means (for me). Business pros don't need MBP's power to run a Word processor nor do writers need anything stronger than the current MBA for Final Draft or Scrivener. I don't know about engineers though, some need a powerful computer to run intensive 3D and modeling software.

I'm getting the next design of the 17 inch providing it still has an Express Card slot, a powerful video card and the ports I need, otherwise I'll get the last version refurbished. Pro has to do with power and connectivity in my opinion.

 

[Acerone]

HDMI yes or no?

 

[nick219]

unrelated question, but: how do I add a picture to my account so it shows up on the left of my message?

 

[MacSince1990]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

This will be a 15" air...current high performance sandy bridge processors use up 45w.. That's too hot for such a small enclosure..
If the launch window is later, say May, then a thin 'pro' book would've been conceivable, with the release of ivy bridge. But in that timeframe, it's a 15" air, not a pro, or at least a 'pro' that's significantly less powerful than the current pro

Apple often has access to Intel's chips before they're even officially announced.

 

[ghostface147]

No thanks. I need my optical drive and 17" MB Pro.

 

[thebluepointe]

When Apple killed the floppy I cheered. I'll be just as happy when they kill the SuperDrives. Here's lookin' at you mechanical storage!!!

 

[damir00]

As long as they find room for a physical Ethernet port (wireless-only is a deal breaker) and a decent discrete GPU I'd be liking this a lot.

 

[aldocg]

I know it makes too much sense for Apple but what about:
11.6" air gets a new 13" screen in current form factor (minimal bezel)
13.3" air gets 15" screen in current form factor.

$999 & 1299 price-points. Entire market cornered (small, portable machine and bigger, more powerful machine).

There's absolutely no reason the 11.6" can't have a bigger screen, it's just that they want people to spend 30% more for the bigger screen even if people don't give a crap about the better specs (I don't).

This way they'd only have 2 air models, so I think that would be even more apple-like than having 3 air models and 3 macbook pro models.

Ideally they'd axe the "air" name and just use macbook, and the pro would be a different animal.

 

[WakeRider]

Apple often has access to Intel's chips before they're even officially announced.

This is going to be a huge deciding factor for my purchase. If the MBA/P has an Ivy Bridge then I'm jumping on it. If not, then in March I'm getting a new laptop anyway... I've waited too long. My Core2Duo with overheating graphics on my dell is pissing me off.

With Ivy Bridge everything changes, graphics will be strong enough for my preference and the form factor is going to be wonderful. oh fu** it. I'm waiting till Ivy Bridge.

 

[Spadoinkles]

brb, going to hibernate for five months.

Wake me up when March ends

Honestly though. Merging Air & Pro = disaster. Apple will be restricting themselves to a certain form of consumer (it won't be cheap ****, nor "professional", meaning both extremes of the market will be dropped).
If anything, I see a diversification into a more portable 'pro' machine, along with a more substantial "pro-er" machine if Apple were to cut back on Mac Pro.

15" and 17" Macbook Pros aren't all that heavy and I would gladly take more weight on if it meant Mac Pro-like performance (not the current one, but how it really should be )

----------

This is going to be a huge deciding factor for my purchase. If the MBA/P has an Ivy Bridge then I'm jumping on it. If not, then in March I'm getting a new laptop anyway... I've waited too long. My Core2Duo with overheating graphics on my dell is pissing me off.

I'm on Core2Duo too! This machine's getting replaced in a week or two. It's not that it's pissing me off, but waiting 5 hours to save 70 megapixel photoshop documents aren't my thing.

 

[LegendarySlayer]

Apple

Apple sets an industry standard with everything it does.

Dropped Floppy - Competitors follow
One of the first to provide flash storage on mobile devices - Competitors follow
One of the first to make a touch screen only phone - competitors copy
Doesn't use Flash - Adobe stops supporting Flash Mobile
Drops Disc Drive - Industry will probably follow

Personally, I haven't used the disc drive for as long as i can remember. (apart from installing Microsoft Office, ohhh the irony )

 

[Spadoinkles]

As long as they find room for a physical Ethernet port (wireless-only is a deal breaker) and a decent discrete GPU I'd be liking this a lot.

I'm keen for them to bring back the third USB port on the 15" and drop the SD slot for CF.

 

[nelsonammo]

I can see them keeping the 11" and 13" laptops as the airs with the lower end processors and no discrete graphics, discontinuing the 13" pro and then making the 15" and 17" models pros with better processors and discrete graphics cards. And more ports too probably.

As it is now, unless you really need the hard drive and the extra ports, there's no point in buying the 13" macbook pro.

 

[bb426]

If they're gonna get rid of optical drives in the MB Pro, they should do it this year. What's the point of waiting one more year.

There's still a great majority of Pro owners (students, employees companies and home users alike) who still watch DVD's on their Pros, purchase software DVD's, copy/burn DVD's, backup with DVD's, and install software with DVD's. That's a big feature the Pros have and the low-end lacks, and it does so for a reason: to save space, weight (not much, but still), cost, and battery life. It makes sense.

Until more people jump on the bandwagon to non-physical media, there will be many problems if Apple axes the optical drive within this year. I'm not saying it won't happen (it will), not I'm not saying that Apple hasn't made decisions like this before (they have), and not saying they don't want to lead the pack (they do), but I just don't expect this whole thing to be mainstream for another year or two, at least for Apple.

But don't get me wrong, I am totally for this move I myself have substituted my optical drive in my 15" MBP for a HDD/SSD combo.

 

[lilo777]

Apple often has access to Intel's chips before they're even officially announced.

So does every other OEM. Intel is not Apple. They do not keep products secret until official release.

 

[altecXP]

\
One of the first to provide flash storage on mobile devices - Competitors follow
Drops Disc Drive - Industry will probably follow

1, there were flash storage devices before the iphone/ipod
2, others have done a optical drive-less laptop before, they got so many complaints they put it back in.

 

[wywern209]

i would hope they at least include a external drive with the macs in the box. what if you have software on disc only, like office? or software that is much faster for u to buy in disc form because it would take far longer to download it than to buy the disc and install it that way... not everyone has even a 25mbps connection downstream...

 

[Westacular]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is more difficult about doing this vs. doing a 11 or 13" model? Wouldn't there be more room for the internal components?

That's true *if* you're expecting it to be just a 15" Air.

But a lot of people are expecting this to be something that will merge the two MacBook lines: a new 15" MacBook that replaces the current MBP, but with a design styled after the Airs.

And that *is* a more difficult task, because there are quite a few features that people normally expect in a 15" MacBook Pro that aren't in any MacBook Air: much more powerful CPU, dedicated GPU, extra ports (Ethernet, Firewire), more storage, etc.

No one is quite sure which compromises Apple might make. Personally, I think one area Apple is *not* going to compromise is in using a slower CPU than they might otherwise have selected; they're not going to replace the MBP with a new model that's significantly slower.

Assuming that's the case, fitting the cooling needed for the higher-power CPU and GPU of a MBP into a thinner, lighter Air-style body will be no easy task. The energy savings with Ivy Bridge will help -- I daresay, that's part of what will even make it possible -- but it will still be tricky.

 

[bb426]

i would hope they at least include a external drive with the macs in the box....

Won't happen. It's not the Apple way. Macbook Air users have to buy SuperDrives on the side if they want them.

what if you have software on disc only, like office? or software that is much faster for u to buy in disc form because it would take far longer to download it than to buy the disc and install it that way... not everyone has even a 25mbps connection downstream...

This doesn't mean that the optical drive is going to disappear off the face of the Earth. Hell, external floppies are still around and being used, and so is dial up. Technology evolves, but a greater half of society will be five steps behind.

 

[lilo777]

Apple sets an industry standard with everything it does.

Dropped Floppy - Competitors follow
One of the first to provide flash storage on mobile devices - Competitors follow
One of the first to make a touch screen only phone - competitors copy
Doesn't use Flash - Adobe stops supporting Flash Mobile
Drops Disc Drive - Industry will probably follow

Personally, I haven't used the disc drive for as long as i can remember. (apart from installing Microsoft Office, ohhh the irony )

Support for floppy drive was discontinued because the replacement (CD drive) was invented not because Apple dropped support for it. Claiming that Apple is more innovative than other computer manufacturers is just laughable. BTW, here is the original ultra-thin laptop - Sony Vaio Z - 0.6" thin:

 

[Westacular]

I don't think there will be enough differentiation, though- what, really would a new, thinner, optical-driveless, SSD-sporting MacBook Pro have that you couldn't get with an upgrade to an Air , or an Air-like machine? They would be way too close. I see a merging with many upgrade options. Just a hunch.

Yeah, exactly.

People who desire the sort of ultra-portability that motivated the creation of the Air... really don't want a bigger notebook. The whole point was being as small and light as possible, while still reasonably fast and powerful.

There isn't really a market for that sort of super light 15" notebook -- what people DO want is something similar the current 15" MBP that's thinner, lighter, and drops they components that they don't really use enough anymore to make it worth carrying around all the time (e.g., optical disc)... WITHOUT compromising on the speed or battery life.

In other words: a MBP that's a bit more like an MBA. Not just a bigger MBA. Which is exactly why they're not going to sell two different types of 15" MacBook at the same time.

 

[paulyras]

Meth does a body good.

LOL. Couldn't have said it better myself!

 

[Eidorian]

Intel HD anything is do not want. I have a feeling Apple will leave the keyboard untouched as well.

Yeah, exactly.

People who desire the sort of ultra-portability that motivated the creation of the Air... really don't want a bigger notebook. The whole point was being as small and light as possible, while still reasonably fast and powerful.

There isn't really a market for that sort of super light 15" notebook -- what people DO want is something similar the current 15" MBP that's thinner, lighter, and drops they components that they don't really use enough anymore to make it worth carrying around all the time (e.g., optical disc)... WITHOUT compromising on the speed or battery life.

In other words: a MBP that's a bit more like an MBA. Not just a bigger MBA. Which is exactly why they're not going to sell two different types of 15" MacBook at the same time.

I want a 13" or 15" notebook without an optical drive and discrete graphics. The low end GPUs barely count.

 

[Westacular]

This is going to be a huge deciding factor for my purchase. If the MBA/P has an Ivy Bridge then I'm jumping on it. If not, then in March I'm getting a new laptop anyway... I've waited too long. My Core2Duo with overheating graphics on my dell is pissing me off.

With Ivy Bridge everything changes, graphics will be strong enough for my preference and the form factor is going to be wonderful. oh fu** it. I'm waiting till Ivy Bridge.

Apple never releases a completely new Mac design that re-uses the same CPUs as the previous generation. And Intel's already released all the mobile Sandy Bridge CPUs that they're ever going to.

In other words: it would make no sense for Apple to launch this design without including Ivy Bridge. And, I daresay, it wouldn't even be possible for Apple to do that -- they're having enough trouble as it is cooling the CPU in the current MBP, there's no way they'd try to run those in a thinner body.

So, yes, you can absolutely bet on the fact that this redesign will launch with Ivy Bridge on board. Recent reports indicate Intel might be targeting a March 2012 release for Ivy Bridge, so the timeline fits.

 

[hcho3]

I think March 2012 should be for iPad 3...

Release MBA 15 inch with IVY bridge or apple will FAIL!!!

No more IVY bridge and no more outdated processors.